Northeast Cape Fear River Photo by Brena Jones
Quarterly Update
Wildlife Diversity Program
July - September 2013
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
In this Issue:
July - September
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission
Page 2 - Rare Fishes Survey in Cape Fear
and Lumber River Basins
Page 3 - Sea Turtle Stranding & Salvage
Network
Page 4 - Piping Plover & American
Oystercatcher Nesting Survey
Page 5 - Meherrin River Surveys
Chatham Park Master Plan
Habitat Recommendations
Page 6 - Green Growth Toolbox
Page 7 - Sandhills Wetland for Amphibians
Pages 8 - Lake Waccamaw Hydrilla Treat-ment
and Aquatic Species Surveys
Pages 9 - Bachman’s Sparrow Surveys
Page 10 , 11- NCPARC News
Page 12 - N.C. Partners in Flight and
	
N.C. Birding Trail
Page 13 - Spotfin Chub Monitoring
Page 14 - Appalachian Elktoe Surveys
Page 15 - Aquatic Salamander Surveys
in Western North Carolina
Page 16 - Red Spruce Plantings
Page 17 - Bog Turtle Habitat Management
Brena Jones
Coastal Rare Fishes Distribution Surveys Conducted in Cape Fear and
Lumber River Basins
Northeast Cape Fear River
Distribution surveys for rare
coastal fish species continued in
2013. Priority species included the
ironcolor shiner, the taillight shiner
and the thinlip chub.
Statewide surveys completed by
Wildlife Commission staff in the
1960s showed the ironcolor shiner,
which closely resembles the more
common dusky shiner, to be wide-spread
across North Carolina’s entire
coastal plain ecoregion.
However, 2012 surveys at 35 stream
reaches in the southeastern coastal plain
drainages of the Cape Fear and Lumber
River basins revealed no individuals.
Twenty sites in the Cape Fear and
Lumber River basins have been sampled
in 2013. No ironcolor shiners have
been found, but three sites contained
thinlip chubs and ten contained taillight
shiners. Surveys will continue through
the rest of the 2013 field season.
Brena Jones Taillight shiner
The North Carolina Sea Turtle
Stranding and Salvage Network (NC
STSSN) collects information about
stranded sea turtles statewide. The
project is coordinated by Wildlife
Diversity Program biologists, utilizing
hundreds of volunteers and collabora-tors
to cover the coast.
An average of 490 sea turtles strand
in North Carolina each year. As of
Sept. 25, 410 sea turtles were reported
stranded in the state. This number
included 143 loggerheads, 166 green
turtles, 88 Kemp’s ridleys, four leath-erbacks,
and nine specimens for which
species could not be determined.
Project participants collect data
from each stranded sea turtle, includ-ing
species, stranding location, stan-dard
measurements, stranding cause,
and presence of identifying tags. Sea
turtle monitoring programs all over the
world deploy tags to learn more about
populations and individual life histo-ries.
Unique tag numbers are stored in
a database, along with corresponding
information about the turtle carrying
those tags. If a turtle is encountered
carrying tags (i.e., a “tag return”),
biologists can consult the database to
learn when and where that animal was
tagged, how much it has grown since
tagging, and more.
Due to the wide-ranging nature of
sea turtles, biologists sometimes get in-teresting
information from tag returns.
In July, volunteers encountered an
adult female leatherback carrying tags
that were placed while the turtle nested
on the Caribbean Island of Tobago in
2011. Five other tag returns have been
found in North Carolina this year,
including another adult female leath-erback
from Central America. The NC
STSSN found four juvenile sea turtles
carrying tags in 2013: one green turtle,
one Kemp’s, and two loggerheads, three
of which were released by rehabilita-tion
facilities in North Carolina or
South Carolina. One loggerhead had
been tagged and released by the St.
Lucie Power Plant in Florida. Collabo-rators
with the N.C. Sea Turtle Project
tag nesting females they encountered
during night monitoring on Bear Is-land
and Bald Head Island.
Turtles that are recovered alive
through the NC STSSN are sent to
rehabilitation facilities and also are
tagged before release.
A metal flipper tag is visible in the right rear flipper
of a loggerhead turtle.
This adult female leatherback, stranded in North Carolina,
was tagged while nesting on the island of Tobago.
Dr. Mathew Godfrey
Cape Hatteras National Park Service
Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Provides Statewide Information on Sea Turtle Strandings
July - September 2013 3
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
Collaborative Nesting Survey on Piping Plo vers and American Oystercatchers Being Conducted
The Wildlife Commission’s Wildlife
Diversity Program has begun work on
a collaborative project with the USGS
National Wetland Research Center, Na-tional
Park Service (Cape Hatteras and
Cape Lookout National Seashores),
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Pea
Island National Wildlife Refuge), and
N.C. State University, to examine hur-ricane
impacts on nesting areas used
by shorebirds. Focal nesting species
are the piping plover and American
oystercatcher. Immediately after the
2013 nesting season, Wildlife Commis-sion
staff collected GPS and ground-based
LIDAR data at piping plover and
American oystercatcher nest sites in
Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The greatest needs within the parks
and refuges are long-term, high-reso-lution
mapping of barrier islands over
time to document changes relative to
storms, and research on nest site char-acterization
and nest site locations.
Similar data on Commission-man-aged,
dredged-material islands in the
Pamlico Sound, west of the barrier islands
of the Outer Banks, will be collected.
Analyses of Lidar data collected dur-ing
September are underway. Lidar scans
provide data in 3-dimensional space and
will provide a rugosity index (“rough-ness”)
that can be compared among sites
relative to bird selection and environ-mental
conditions. Ultimately, these data
will determine nesting habitat enhance-ment
and restoration.
Biologists are analyzing Lidar data to de-termine
nesting habitat enhancement and
restoration for piping plovers and American
oystercatchers.
Piping plover American oystercatcher Oystercatcher chicks
4 July - September 2013
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Quarterly Update
Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Wildlife Commission Provides Habitat Conservation Recommendations for Chatham Park Master Plan
Wildlife Diversity Program staff developed recommendations for the Town of Pittsboro’s Board of Commissioners to
improve wildlife habitat conservation measures in the Chatham Park Master Plan. The Chatham Park Master Plan provides
a description of a 7,120-acre multi-use development to be built within the jurisdiction of Pittsboro.
This development is proposed to be built over a significant natural heritage area and in proximity to the Haw River State
Park lands and Jordan Lake Game Land. Development along the fringe of the game land could lead to restriction of hunt-ing
on the game land. The recommendations provided the commissioners were based on scientifically researched principles
available to the public in the Wildlife Commission’s document entitled, “Conservation Recommendations for Priority Ter-restrial
Wildlife Species and Habitats in North Carolina.”
Wildlife Commission staff will continue to work with the developer and the Town of Pittsboro to help minimize impacts
to the wildlife within adjacent game lands, state park lands, and within the proposed development.
Meherrin River Surveys Yield Three Chowanoke Crayfish and One Triangle Floater
On Aug. 16, Wildlife Diversity
Program staff partnered with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a
survey for Chowanoke crayfish on the
upper portion of the Meherrin River in
the Chowan River basin. The freshwa-ter
crustacean is state listed as special
concern and currently under review for
possible Federal listing.
The survey was a collaborative effort
to collect data from an area that had not
been surveyed before and to assist the
N.C. Coastal Land Trust with a grant
application to purchase additional prop-erty
along the Meherrin River.
Biologists were able to capture
Chowanoke crayfish at three new loca-tions
on the Meherrin River, which ex-tended
the known range approximately
13 river miles upstream of other known
locations in the Meherrin River. In ad-dition,
biologists searched muskrat mid-dens
(clam and mussel shell piles left by
foraging muskrat) for freshwater mussel
shells to determine what species were
present. Most middens comprised the
invasive Asian clam and native eastern
elliptio; however, the shell of one state
threatened species, the Triangle floater,
was found during the survey.
The observation of Triangle floater in
the Meherrin River represents the first
known occurrence in the North Caro-lina
portion of the river.
Biologists use a seine net to sur-vey
for Chowanoke crayfish (left).
Finding the shell of the Triangle
floater (above) marked the first
time biologists had seen the mus-sel
in the North Carolina portion
of the Meherrin River.
This survey accomplished two goals
by providing valuable information
needed to assess the status of native
freshwater biodiversity and giving the
N.C. Coastal Land Trust species distri-bution
information needed to apply for
a land purchase grant.
If the grant is approved, the land
purchase will help protect the waters of
the state and the animals that inhabit
our aquatic habitats.
July - September 2013 5
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
New and Improved 2nd Edition of the Gr een Growth Toolbox Now Available
What’s New in the Green Growth Toolbox?
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has published
a second edition of the Green Growth Toolbox handbook
and materials. This second edition provides more detailed
information to assist planners, local governments, commu-nities
and developers with conserving wildlife habitat and
biodiversity through land use planning, incentives, policies
and development design.
The updated handbook, conservation mapping data, and
example plans, incentives, ordinances and developments are
available on the Green Growth Toolbox website at:
www.ncwildlife.org/greengrowth.
The second edition of the Green Growth Toolbox handbook is
now available free of charge to planners, local governments,
communities and developers.
• Information from more than 65 peer-reviewed articles on
the economic and societal benefits of green growth.
• More detailed step-by-step guidance on conservation of
wildlife habitat through land use and development
planning, based on more than 140 peer-reviewed articles
and case studies from North Carolina and across the
country.
• More case studies to provide examples of how North
	
Carolina and nationwide communities have tailored their
land use planning, incentives, ordinances and
developments to reduce habitat fragmentation and better
safeguard their natural resources for the future.
• Information on climate change, how it affects wildlife and
how we can better safeguard our communities
by conserving certain types of habitat.
• A focus on the North Carolina Conservation Planning
Tool and how it can be used with other Conservation
	
Data for Green Growth to map and understand
priority conservation areas across the state better.
• Detailed guidance on the amount of habitat needed by
priority wildlife to remain in developing landscapes.
• Visual examples of how to use the Conservation Data
for Green Growth and how to design wildlife friendly
developments.
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Diversity Program
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Update?
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We have back issues available online.
Visit www.ncwildlife.org/conserving
Pine Barrens treefrog by Jeff Hall
Quarterly Update
Wildlife Diversity Program
July - September 2012
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Quarterly Update
Wildlife Diversity Program
April - June 2013
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
6 July - September 2013
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
Wildlife Commission Staff Creates Wetland on Sandhills Game Land f or Gopher Frogs
Initial pond excavation site
Replacing topsoil
Installing pond liner
Completion of created pond
Staff created a ⅓-acre wetland in early October to provide
more suitable habitat for the Carolina gopher frog and other
imperiled amphibians on Sandhills Game Land.
Gopher frogs, which once were found across the Sandhills
and Coastal Plain of North Carolina, are now down to seven
known populations in the state because of the destruction
and alteration of wetlands and upland longleaf pine habitats.
For breeding, gopher frogs require large, isolated, grassy,
temporary wetlands that fill and dry seasonally.
However, long-term droughts have caused the naturally
occurring isolated wetlands across the Sandhills to hold too
little water to support any gopher frog breeding over the past
three years.
Because the average life span of a wild gopher frog is not
much more than three years, the population of gopher frogs
on Sandhills Game Land, which numbered fewer than 200
three years ago, could be in serious peril.
The Commission worked with Tom Bebighauser, who is
well known for creating hundreds of ponds across North
America. Twenty-nine staff members and volunteers, using
heavy equipment, created a plastic-lined, 140-ft diameter
pond where gopher frogs are known to occur.
Wetland plants and seeds will be brought to the site to
mimic naturally occurring isolated wetlands in the Sandhills.
Staff will monitor the
pond for amphibian
use over the coming
years, with the hope
that gopher frogs and
other amphibians will find the
pond on their own and begin
to use it for breeding.
Jeff Hall
Jeff Humphries Jeff Humphries
Jeff Humphries Jeff Humphries
1
3
2
4
July - September 2013 7
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
Hydrilla
Mussel sampling in Lake Waccamaw
Lake Waccamaw
Lake Waccamaw Treated for Hydrilla
Priority Fish Surveys and Quantitative Mussel Surveys Conducted in Lake Waccamaw
Hydrilla, a federal and state listed
noxious weed, was first reported in
Lake Waccamaw in October 2012.
This invasive plant poses a significant
threat to the endemic species of Lake
Waccamaw, a Carolina Bay, located
in Columbus County that is unique
because of its water quality, large size,
and high number of endemic species.
Wildlife Commission staff served
on the newly formed Lake Wacca-maw
Hydrilla Management Technical
Advisory Committee, which includes
members from universities, state and
federal agencies, NGOs, and other
stakeholders.
The group determined that the ap-plication
of an herbicide, fluridone,
was the best option. Treatment of the
hydrilla began in early June with a
subsequent application in late June.
Because of the early detection and
treatment, staff believes that control
efforts may be successful.
Wildlife Commission staff conducted
standardized surveys for priority fish
in Lake Waccamaw. The mean number
of Waccamaw Silversides collected per
minute of seining has varied over the
past five years and was 9.1 fish/minute
of seining in 2013. The mean catch rate
was the highest in 2009 at 23.5 fish/
minute and lowest in 2011 at 2.9 fish/
minute of seining. This variability in
catch rate is expected due to the fish’s
schooling behavior and preference for
open waters of the lake.
Young-of-the-year silversides com-prised
the majority of the individuals
that staff collected, indicating successful
reproduction continues to occur. Staff
also collected Waccamaw killifish with
minimal effort at study sites suggest-
Chris Evans
ing that abundant populations persist
within Lake Waccamaw. Because of the
high, dark-stained waters in the lake
this summer due to above average rain-fall,
visual observations for Waccamaw
darters were not effective and staff will
continue these surveys next year.
Staff also conducted quantitative
mussel surveys in Lake Waccamaw.
Endemic species of mussels and snails
persist, although the densities are lower
than historical surveys indicate, espe-cially
for snails. The Waccamaw spike
is the exception — population densi-ties
of this species have increased from
previous surveys. Waccamaw spike and
tidewater mucket were the most abun-dant
mollusks found in study sites at
Lake Waccamaw.
8 July - September 2013
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
In addition to mapping Bachman’s spar-row
habitat, Wildlife Program Diversity
staff elicited the help of landowners to
determine the bird’s current distribu-tion.
Wildlife Diversity and Private
Lands staff visited locations of historic
observations and identified potential
habitat across the historic range, regard-less
of land ownership. While most
of the current records exist on public
lands, it is important to know the bird’s
status on private lands and the success
of this project depends on the coopera-tion
of private landowners.
Personnel reached out to 268 private
landowners via letters and personal
contacts. They sent letters to 199 land-owners
and 75 (38%) granted permis-sion
to conduct a survey, 25 denied per-
Bachman’s Sparrow Habitat Mapping Project Underway
Many Private Landowners Cooperate with Bachman’s Sparrow Survey
Bachman’s sparrows prefer open longleaf
pine forests that are burned regularly to
maintain and enhance diverse ground
cover.
John Carpenter
Jeff Hall
Wildlife Diversity Program staff and
research faculty from NCSU are collab-orating
on a project to map Bachman’s
sparrow habitat in North Carolina using
aerial imagery from the 2012 National
Agriculture Imagery Program.
The preferred habitat of this spe-cies
is open longleaf pine forest that
is burned regularly to maintain and
enhance the diverse ground cover
where it builds its nest. A Geographic
information system (GIS) and imag-ery
will be used to identify key habitat
characteristics of sites where Bachman’s
sparrows were found during the 2011
and 2012 breeding season. These char-acteristics
will be used to locate similar
areas across the landscape throughout
the sparrows’ range in North Carolina.
Data collected at more than 1,000 ad-ditional
survey locations will be used to
help validate and refine the results.
This effort will help to delineate
Bachman’s sparrow populations, iden-tify
their associations with landscape-level
habitat characteristics, and detect
areas to target for land conservation and
restoration, particularly on privately
owned lands, which will ultimately in-crease
longleaf pine habitat connectivity.
mission (13%), and 97 had no response
(49%). They also asked permission via
phone and in person with landowners
that they knew and asked permission
through other natural resource profes-sionals
with landowner relationships.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Safe
Harbor program and the Commission’s
Corporate CURE program yielded 62
“yes” and four “no” replies, and four “no
responses.”
Staff conducted bird surveys on
the property of more than 100 private
landowners and provided most of them
with a letter detailing the results of the
survey, offering suggestions for enhanc-ing
habitat on their properties, and
providing a list of resources for techni-cal
and financial assistance.
So far at least one landowner has
acted on staff suggestions for habitat
improvement. Several are planning to
continue beneficial practices that they
already started. Several others have
asked for more information or are con-sidering
staff recommendations.
July - September 2013 9
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
North Carolina Partners in Amphibian and R eptile Conservation (NCPARC)
Workshops, training and meetings
Surveys and research - Several Priority Species Detected During Bioblitz at Bladen Lakes
Eastern spadefoot
Scarlet snake
Mud snake
Wildlife Diversity Program staff
facilitated many presentations and field
demonstrations on topics such as am-phibians
and reptiles, survey techniques,
Calling Amphibian Survey Program, frog
call identification, and pond restoration.
These were given to both internal and ex-
Wildlife Diversity Program staff,
along with more than 30 volunteers
from partner agencies and the public
(including many from out-of-state),
conducted a herps bioblitz of the Blad-en
Lakes PARCA (Priority Amphibian
and Reptile Conservation Area).
ternal groups. Internal groups included
Nongame Wildlife Advisory Council,
Coastal Ecoregion staff meeting, and the
Wildlife Commission’s Law Enforcement
staff. External groups included Elon
University, East Carolina University,
Clemson University, University of North
PARCAs are sponsored by Partners
in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
and are similar to the Audubon Society’s
Important Bird Area program.
The Orianne Society, along with
NCPARC members, is currently
working on finalizing the PARCAs for
North Carolina. Read more about their
Carolina-Wilmington, MCB Camp
Lejeune, and Camp Rockfish.
Three NCPARC working group meet-ings
also took place during the quarter.
The Education & Outreach working
group met and the Policy, Regulation &
Trade working group met twice.
efforts by visiting: www.oriannesociety.
org/parcas.
Several N.C. Wildlife Action Plan
priority species were detected during
the bioblitz including timber rattle-snake,
scarlet snake, mud snake, east-ern
box turtle, lesser siren, many-lined
salamander, and eastern spadefoot.
Jeff Hall
Jeff Hall
Jeff Hall
10 July - September 2013
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
North Carolina Partners in Amphibian and R eptile Conservation (NCPARC)
Surveys and research - Reptiles and Amphibian Surveys along the Coast
Wildlife Diversity Program and Croatan National Park staff survey a pond in the Croatan after
a recent prescribed fire. Part of what makes ponds like this so valuable for amphibians is
that they dry during the summer. Some species, like the gopher frog, require large, isolated,
grassy, temporary wetlands that fill and dry seasonally.
Pine woods treefrog
Gopher frog
Wildlife Diversity Program staff
assisted N.C. Museum of Natural Sci-ences
biologists with reptile and amphib-ian
surveys on the Albemarle-Pamlico
Peninsula. Fewer reptile and amphibian
records and specimens exist from this
area of the coast, prompting this particu-lar
survey effort.
Staff also participated in fall bog turtle
surveys, monitoring, and management
in Buncombe and Wilkes counties. Staff
found 15 bog turtles at seven sites. Of
Jeff Hall
Jeff Hall
Jeff Hall
those, 12 were recaptures and three were
newly found turtles.
Staff and volunteers continued other
amphibian and reptile surveys and moni-toring
at several long-term locations, in-cluding
Camp Lejeune, Croatan National
Forest, and Holly Shelter Game Land.
Of particular note, Croatan National
Forest staff found a recently metamor-phosed
juvenile gopher frog on forest
land and sent a photograph to Wildlife
Diversity Program biologists for species
confirmation. The location of this juve-nile
frog led to the discovery of several
possible new breeding ponds, none of
which had previously been documented
as gopher frog breeding sites.
July - September 2013 11
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
North Carolina Partners in Flight & North Car olina Birding Trail
On Aug. 25-27, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission staff
participated in the Fifth International Partners in Flight Con-ference
and Conservation Workshop,
developing a conservation business plan
that considers full life-cycle concerns of
migratory species.
Participants from North and South
America identified and prioritized spe-cific
projects designed to conserve birds
in different habitats. The result was a
first draft of a plan that will be complet-ed
in early 2014. Wildlife Commission
staff will continue to participate in final-izing
the plan in the coming months.
Migratory birds present a unique
conservation challenge for state wildlife agencies like the N.C.
Wildlife Resources Commission. Sixty percent of bird species
that can be found in North Carolina spend a significant por-tion
of their lives outside the state on breeding or wintering
grounds. For example, the golden-winged warbler (below), a
species of concern in the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan, breeds on
high mountain shrublands in
North Carolina, throughout
the Appalachians, and in
the Great Lakes region,
but winters in open
woodlands and shade-coffee
plantations in
Central and South Amer-ica.
Therefore, state
agencies must take into
account birds’ full life cycle
when prioritizing conservation
efforts. Work may increase breeding habitat for a declining
species, but the species may continue to decline if issues on
wintering grounds or during migration are not addressed.
Partners in Flight is an international
partnership designed
to approach bird
conservation through
partnerships that
cross state and
international boundaries.
Ken McFarland
12 July - September 2013
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
upport the Wildlife Diversity Program and
Help Keep North Carolina Wild!
Whether you hunt, fish, watch or just appreciate wildlife, you can help conserve North Carolina’s wildlife
and their habitats and keep North Carolina wild for future generations to enjoy. To make a direct donation to conserve North
Carolina’s wildlife, send this form, along with a check or money order payable to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, to: N.C.
Wildlife Resources Commission, 1702 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1702. Or pay by credit card.
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Donate online by visiting: www.ncwildlife.org/give
Spotfin Chub Monitoring in the Lit tle Tennessee River
In early August, Wildlife Diversity Program staff, along
with partners from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Con-servation
Fisheries, Inc., N.C. Natural Heritage Program, and
Appalachian State University, completed field surveys for the
7th year of a 10-year project to monitor status and population
dynamics of the federal and North Carolina listed threatened
fish species, spotfin chub, in the Little Tennessee River in
Macon and Swain counties.
Snorkelers visually surveyed five sites along 50m transects
and during timed random area searches in the same locations
sampled since 2007. Analyses of data collected to date show
variations in abundance that appear to drop following years
with significant high flow events. As expected, this year’s
results showed lower abundance than seen in previous years
following a record long period of high flows throughout much
of 2013. However, overall, the population remains well dis-tributed
and if past patterns persist, abundance is expected to
rebound when normal water levels return.
Populations of spotfin chub have generally become more
abundant and have increased their occupied range in recent
years. Several reintroduction efforts, such as in the Cheoah
River in Graham County and others in Tennessee and Ala-bama,
show positive results and are well on their way to estab-lishing
healthy new populations.
Criteria for recovering the species and removing it from the
federal threatened species list are defined in the species recov-ery
plan and include the establishment of new populations, as
well as at least 10 years documenting no significant declines in
the populations known at the time of listing.
Data collected in this new monitoring effort are intended
to provide that information for the Little Tennessee River
population, as well as provide valuable insight into population
dynamics and the effects of annual flow variability on recruit-ment
and abundance.
A snorkeler looks
for spotfin chubs in
typical adult habi-tat,
Little Tennes-see
River, Macon
County.
Female (left) and
male (right) spotfin
chubs, which are a
federal and state-listed
threatened
species.
Your purchase helps conserve wildlife in North Carolina.
July - September 2013 13
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
The Nolichucky River (French Broad River basin) and its tributaries in Yancey
and Mitchell counties support a relatively extensive population of the federal and
North Carolina listed endangered mussel species Appalachian elktoe. Reaches
of the Nolichucky, North and South Toe, and Cane rivers are designated critical
habitat for the species. This often patchy population has been increasing overall
in density and range following substantial water quality improvements beginning
in the 1970s. However, monitoring data from the late 1990s-2000s show much
variation in density over time and from place to place.
High flows following two tropical storms in 2004 caused a drastic reduction in
densities at all monitoring sites in the system. But over the next five years, good
reproduction and recruitment had increased abundances to pre-2004 levels at
many sites. An exception was the Cane River where a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) failure at Burnsville in 2008 wiped out
most of the population there. In 2012, bioloigsts began a pilot study to test the feasibility of reintroduction of Appalachian elktoe to
the Cane River. Mussels were released at a study site within the reach previously affected by the WWTP failure. Biologists assessed
survival and growth over the next year.
Five-year interval population monitoring surveys were again conducted at sites on the Nolichucky, North Toe and Cane rivers in
September. Population densities have decreased throughout the system, apparently as a result of extended high flows throughout
2013. However, while they were recovered in low numbers, the mussels released in Cane River survived, grew, and were apparently
as healthy as mussels seen at other sites in the system.
Earlier in 2013, a settlement was reached between the town of Burnsville, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife
Commission for the town to provide funding to the Wildlife Commission to restore Appalachian elktoe to the affected reach by
propagating juveniles at the Conservation Aquaculture Center (CAC) at Marion State Fish Hatchery and restocking with the mus-sels
produced. The results of the feasibility study, along with recent success in producing high numbers of juvenile Appalachian
Appalachian Elktoe Monitoring and Restoration
Appalachian elktoe
Purchase our new American Kestrel T-shirt and show your support of wildlife
diversity in North Carolina. This 100% cotton T-shirt features North Carolina’s
smallest raptor flying across the Wildlife Commission’s official logo on the front
and a colorful assortment of wildlife and fish buttons on the back. All proceeds
from the Wildlife Commission’s sales of these American Kestrel shirts benefit the
Commission’s Wildlife Diversity Program.
Fabrication of the shirts was paid entirely by Neuse Sport Shop in Kinston, which also
agreed to donate the proceeds from the shirt sales to the Commission’s Wildlife Diver-sity
Program. Give a hand to wildlife and purchase a t-shirt today.
Visit N.C. Wild Store, www.ncwildstore.com.
Help a Small Raptor in a Big Way
elktoe at the CAC, set the stage for future restoration work.
14 July - September 2013
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
This past summer, despite the rainiest year on record in west-ern
North Carolina, Wildlife Diversity Program staff continued
to research, monitor and inventory priority and state-listed
aquatic salamanders.
Although most river surveys — both visual and snorkeling —
were canceled repeatedly due to high water levels, swift current
and high turbidity, staff and project partners from the N.C.
Zoo and University of Idaho continued a DNA research project
started in 2012. The project evaluated the use of environmental
DNA (eDNA) in river water samples to detect target species:
Eastern hellbender and mudpuppy.
Results from 2012 proved the technique worked to detect
species presence, and biologists determined that the amount of
eDNA collected increases significantly during hellbender breed-ing
season, which is September. In 2013, biologists have taken
this research to the next level by not only continuing to test
water at more than 30 new, potential sites, but also testing water
before and after hellbender eggs hatch.
The goal is to determine if a spike in eDNA later in the fall
could indicate a successful hatch, thus documenting reproduc-tive
success. The lack of records for larval and juvenile hellbend-ers
continues to be a challenge for determining overall popula-tion
health and status in North Carolina.
Western North Carolina Amphibian Conservation - Aquatic Salamander Research, Monitoring and Inventory
Eastern Hellbender eggs outside of a nest rock,
French Broad River basin.
Eastern Hellbender breeding season activity,
French Broad River basin.
Lori Williams
Lori Williams
TR Russ
Going Fishing in Western North Carolina? Watch Out for Water Dogs!
Did you know Eastern Hellbenders (aka water
dogs) are harmless, nonvenomous giant, crayfish-eating
aquatic salamanders that are indicators of
good water quality and healthy streams?
The Wildlife Commission wants to conserve this
amazing mountain animal and needs your help. If
you accidentally catch a hellbender on hook and
line, immediately release the animal at the spot of
capture by carefully removing the hook, if possible,
or cutting the line as close as possible. If you find
one, let us know so we can map their distribution.
Find a hellbender?
We want to know!
919-707-0050
July - September 2013 15
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
Just a few weeks after the newly
formed Southern Appalachian Spruce
Restoration Initiative’s (SASRI) summer
meeting, Wildlife Diversity Biologist
Chris Kelly led the first annual fall red
spruce planting event in September on
the Nantahala National Forest.
The purpose was to supplant dying
eastern hemlock trees with red spruce to
maintain a mixed conifer-hardwood for-est
for resident Carolina northern flying
squirrels. Wildlife Commission staff,
U.S. Forest Service staff, and Haywood
Community College’s Forestry and
Wildlife students tackled the laborious
task of planting 1,135 seedlings over the
course of four days. They had to develop
their own red spruce seedling supply.
Until the project began, there was no
nursery source for spruce seedlings in
western North Carolina.
A Transylvania County-based non-profit
nursery, The Southern Highlands
Reserve (www.southernhighlandsre-serve.
org), partnered with the Wildlife
Commission to grow the 1-gallon
potted seedlings from seed collected in
the Great Balsam range by Kelly in 2009
and 2010. In the future, to ensure the
seedlings get plenty of sunlight to grow,
Commission staff will remove clumps of
small hardwoods to open the canopy.
“We’re excited to partner with Hay-wood
Community College Forestry
students to monitor seedling growth
and survival,” Kelly said.
This is the second half of an effort to
fortify Carolina northern flying squir-rel
habitat in the Unicoi Mountains
Recovery Area. The first half of the
project, to restore connectivity across
the Cherohala Skyway by erecting cross-ing
structures, was completed in 2008,
and flying squirrels readily took to the
structures. That project was published
in the June 2013 issue of The Wildlife
Society Bulletin (onlinelibrary.wiley.
com/doi/10.1002/wsb.249/abstract) and
recently featured in the Fall 2013 issue
of The Wildlife Professional.
Spruce planting in the Unicoi
Mountains is part of the broader U.S.
Forest Service’s Upper Santeetlah Forest
Management Project, which will include
prescribed burns and creating early suc-cessional
forest across 17 shelterwood
units over the next several years.
At the successful conclusion of this
initial spruce planting event, SASRI
partners mobilized to collect cones
from red spruce and Fraser fir.
Wildlife Commission Plants Red Spruce to Improve Flying Squirrel Habitat
Carolina northern flying squirrel
Planted red spruce seedling
Wildlife Diversity Program Technician Charles Lawson (left) instructs Haywood Community
College volunteers on proper planting techniques.
Mike Carraway
Chris Kelly
Chris Kelly
16 July - September 2013
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
Habitat Management for Bog Turtles Conducted at a Southern Appalachian Bog
Prior to habitat management, the primary bog habitat was shaded by tall trees that had
grown within the bog.
In preparation for the habitat manage-ment
workdays, all trees to be cut were
marked with flagging to ensure that the
established objectives were met.
Gabrielle Graeter
Gabrielle Graeter
In September, Wildlife Diversity
Biologist Gabrielle Graeter coordinated
two days of habitat management for bog
turtles at a Southern Appalachian bog in
Buncombe County.
Bog turtles are federally and state
listed as threatened and are a high prior-ity
in the N.C. Wildlife Action Plan.
The bog turtle population at this loca-tion
is suspected to be declining, likely
due to degradation of the habitat over
time from succession of trees, isolation
on the landscape due to habitat fragmen-tation,
and invasion of non-native plants
into their primary habitat.
Bog turtles live in freshwater wetlands
that are usually spring fed, with slow-moving
rivulets, deep, soft soils, a contin-uously
saturated upper layer of soil, and
some open sunny areas dominated by low
grasses, sedges and sphagnum.
Unfortunately at this site, the primary
habitat where bog turtles were known to
spend much of their time had become
completely shaded by trees growing with-in
and adjacent to the bog. This site was
past due for removal of trees to improve
the quality of the habitat for bog turtles
and their ecological community.
Graeter improved the habitat by
coordinating assistance from Wildlife
Commission staff, professors and stu-dents
from an Environmental Restoration
class at UNC-Asheville, an invasive plant
expert at Western North Carolina Alli-ance,
and members of Project Bog Turtle.
Graeter visited the UNC-Asheville class
the week prior to the workdays to present
background information about the bog,
the habitat needs of bog turtles, and the
habitat management objectives.
On the workday, the group cut and
removed trees from the primary bog
area, which was less than ½ acre, to
allow more sunlight penetration. The
group also searched for and treated any
non-native invasive plants in the focal
area. The two workdays proved insuf-ficient
to meet all objectives.
With more work needing to be done
at this site, Graeter looked to another
local college for assistance. In October,
this project was completed with the
assistance of the Forestry and Wildlife
class from Haywood Community Col-lege.
The students came for an entire day
to assist with removal of the tree limbs
and thinning of the shrub layer in the
primary habitat.
“Partnerships with local colleges and
universities have been an invaluable
resource for this type of project,” Graeter
said. “Not only does it help Wildlife Com-mission
employees immensely to have the
assistance of an entire class in the field, it
also provides students with hands-on ex-perience
of the conservation work that the
Wildlife Commission accomplishes.”
July - September 2013 17
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Update
Wildlife Diversity Program
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission
1751 Varsity Drive
Raleigh, N.C. 27606
919-707-0050
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